Dorab wolf-herring

The dorab wolf-herring is a fish species from the genus Chirocentrus of the family Chirocentridae. It is a coastal fish, silvery below and bright blue above. It is found in both marine and brackish or estuarine waters, where it primarily feeds on smaller fish and possibly crustaceans. The genus name Chirocentrus is from the Greek cheir meaning hand and kentron meaning sting. Dorab is from the Arabic language word darrab, probably a corrupted form of durubb, a name for goldfish in Arabic. It has another Arabic name, lisan, which means tongue. In Sinhala, it is known as කටුවල්ලා.

Description

The dorab wolf-herring have slender, elongated bodies. They are commonly about in length and weigh between.

Range

The dorab wolf-herring is found in the Indo-Pacific, probably throughout the warmer coastal waters, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Solomon Islands, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia. It was recently reported in Tonga.

Fisheries

The dorab wolf-herring is a commercial species which is sold fresh, dried, salted or frozen. It is also a game fish.